Mountain Top Mystery

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  Mountain Top Mystery (Boxcar Children #9)

  Gertrude Chandler Warner

  CHAPTER 1

  Grandfather in the Lead

  It was a fine warm day in early summer. The Aldens-Henry, Jessie,

  Violet, and Benny-and their grandfather were just eating lunch. They had

  come to dessert of apple pie and cheese.

  Benny rested his head on his hand. After awhile he said, "Grandfather,

  do you remember a few summers ago we wanted to go mountain climbing?"

  "Yes, I remember, my boy."

  "Well, do you remember we got cheated out of it? Joe and Alice had to go

  abroad and we couldn't go alone."

  8

  Henry said, "Benny will never forget that. We went to see Aunt Jane at

  Mystery Ranch instead."

  Benny said, "Well, I wondered where we were going that summer,

  if

  we had

  gone. What mountain were we going to climb?"

  "Benny, does all this mean you want to go mountain climbing?" asked Mr.

  Alden. He couldn't help laughing.

  "Yes, it does," said Benny. "Maybe not the same mountain."

  "No, indeed, it won't be," said Mr. Alden. "That year I was going to

  take you up in the Rockies. No more of that. We'll have to choose Old

  Flat Top because I don't want Violet getting all tired out with a long

  climb. And I don't want me getting all tired out either. The rest of you

  are tough enough."

  Grandfather looked up to see that every Alden was looking at him. The

  four shining faces answered him. There were four nods.

  "You do have the strangest ideas, Benny," said Jessie. "What put that

  into your head?"

  9

  "Well," said Benny, "I've been reading about that place in school."

  "About Flat Top?" asked Violet.

  "Oh, you have, have you?" said Henry. "You chose Flat Top yourself?"

  "Right," said Benny. "I don't want to climb too much myself. I get

  lame."

  Mr. Alden said, "Well, my answer is yes. Old Flat Top is easy enough for

  all of us, and yet it is interesting all the way up. And we'll all be

  able to get a good rest on the smooth top."

  "Just like airplanes landing on an airplane carrier," said Benny.

  "That's exactly right, my boy," said Grandfather. "Only this flat top is

  twice as big as a carrier."

  Benny finished his apple pie and put down his fork. "Then the only

  question is

  when.

  Let's go right away."

  Everyone laughed. Benny and Grandfather were so much alike. When they

  wanted anything they wanted it right away.

  10

  "What do you mean by right away?" asked Grandfather, smiling. "You mean

  this minute? If you do, we could go this minute, very easily. It is only

  a day's trip. You climb up Flat Top, eat lunch, and climb down. There is

  just time in one day. Nobody spends the night there."

  "How do you know all this, Grandfather?" asked Henry.

  "Oh, I had a friend who made that trip last summer. He said it was

  exactly right for his wife, and they had a fine time. Near the foot of

  the mountain is a general store. The men give you poles and a lunch and

  directions. They always leave a lot of firewood all cut for a campfire

  to cook your lunch on the flat top. This place isn't for real mountain

  climbers. It's for old men and children."

  Henry laughed. He knew that it was a real mountain. Grandfather was

  having a good time teasing them.

  "Do you mean we can really go today?" asked Jessie.

  11

  "Well, no," Grandfather answered. "I should say tomorrow would be better

  because we must have a full day. We can drive to Old Flat Top in two

  hours. What time do you want to get up, Benny? You're the sleepy one."

  "I'll get up at five," said Benny. "I did when we went to the

  lighthouse."

  "So you did. Five it is. Lay out some sport clothes. Better take some

  extra clothes. We may want to go on somewhere else. And another thing,

  we can't take Watch. He'll just be in the way."

  "That's right," said Henry. "He will do nothing but whine. He doesn't

  like to see us do anything dangerous."

  Mr. Alden looked thoughtful and then said, "I believe that Dr. Percy

  Osgood is working somewhere in the range not too far from Old Flat Top.

  How about it, Benny, does that name mean something to you?"

  Benny shook his head. But Henry said, "Osgood? It means something to me.

  He was the author of a book on geology I read for a college course last

  year."

  12

  "Right!" Grandfather said. "Percy is on a hunt for some fossils. If John

  Carter can find out where he is for me we might pay him a visit. I

  haven't seen Osgood for years, but I don't suppose he's changed much."

  The Aldens went to pack and Grandfather made a phone call to John

  Carter. It was too bad Benny wasn't around to hear some of the plans

  being made. But he and the others were busy packing.

  There was not much sleep in the Alden house that night. At five o'clock

  everyone was wide awake and downstairs eating breakfast.

  "I have two flashlights," said Henry, "and some batteries and the

  binoculars. You can see the view better."

  Grandfather said, "We'll get the lunch at the store and water and either

  coffee or cold drinks in bottles. We can buy anything we need."

  The day was beautiful. It was warm even in the early morning. They all

  knew it would be cooler on Flat Top, and they each had a warm sweater.

  When they reached the mountain range, Violet said, "Oh, isn't this

  lovely!"

  13

  "That's Old Flat Top," said Benny, pointing. It was the lowest mountain

  in the range. Other peaks went much higher into the sky. Some looked

  blue in the distance. Others looked violet. Others looked green. But

  Flat Top was so near it looked green almost all the way up. The top was

  all solid rock.

  "Hey!" said Henry. "There is the store. It seems to be made of logs." He

  stopped the car at the door and they all went into the store. Old Flat

  Top towered right over them.

  "Just right," said Benny. "Not too high. Not too steep. Just right, just

  a good healthy climb and a grand view at the top." Then he thought,

  "Isn't it queer that this store man seems to know Grandfather?"

  The two men were shaking hands, and Grandfather just said, "Fit us out

  for Flat Top, won't you?"

  The man said, "You each need a pack on your back to carry your lunch.

  You'll need five poles. I should think that would be enough. You'll find

  the path is well marked, but there's only one. And remember that there

  is no other path down."

  14

  "I'd like to go first," said Benny.

  "I'm sorry to disagree with you, Benny," said Mr. Alden. "I should like

  to go first."

  "Oh," said Benny, "of course, you should go first. That's OK."

  "Thanks," said Mr. Alden.

  Up they went. It was true that the path was well mark
ed. The trees were

  marked with knotted strips of red cloth. It was a little hard in some

  places, but the poles were a great help. Each climber had a pack on his

  back.

  Up and up they went. Violet was right behind Grandfather. Benny still

  wished he could be the leader, but he thought he had better mind his

  grandfather at this point.

  It took the Aldens three hours to reach the first stop.

  "See the sign? " said Henry. "Lunch Here. The man said we must eat just

  half of our lunch here."

  "I have never been so hungry in my life," said Benny.

  "Oh, yes, you have!" joked Henry. "Almost every

  15

  meal you eat. And be careful how much water you drink. That's the thing

  we have to save."

  Soon they were ready to go on. When they were almost at the top they

  noticed there were no more bushes, no more trees, no more grass. It was

  all gray rock.

  Grandfather looked ahead. He could see the last two steps very well. He

  noticed that the last step was a

  16

  big one, and he was glad he had gone first. With his pole, he reached

  the very top where it was flat. He turned around and gave a hand to

  Violet. Then he helped Jessie up, and reached way down to help Benny.

  With his pole, Henry climbed up by himself.

  They all looked around. "This is as big as our own front yard," said

  Jessie.

  "What a view," said Benny. "The town is over there, and nothing but

  woods there at the foot of the mountain."

  Henry said, "Here is the woodpile for campfires and a fireplace. This is

  where we can cook the rest of our lunch."

  It never entered anyone's head, even Grandfather's, that a fire might be

  needed to keep them warm.

  17

  CHAPTER 2

  Hold On, Benny!

  My, I'm glad we have sweaters," said Henry. "The wind blows harder up

  here." He pulled his brown sweater on over his head.

  The others put on their sweaters and then they sat down in a row.

  "What a view!" said Jessie. They looked out over the valley. They felt

  as if they were very high up.

  Grandfather said, "Benny, you come over and sit by me. I want to talk to

  you. You know a boy ought to learn a thing the first time he is told. Of

  course he can learn it the second time and maybe the third time. But

  18

  he will save a lot of time for himself by learning the first time. I am

  telling you not to go near the edge, and I shall say nothing more about

  it. Is that clear?"

  Grandfather almost never spoke in that sort of voice.

  "Oh, yes indeed!" cried Benny. "I learned that before you got through

  talking. I don't like the edge myself."

  Henry looked around at Flat Top. There was a small hump in the middle.

  "Look at the wavy lines in the rocks," he said. "White and black and

  gray. Wouldn't a geologist find this interesting?"

  Everyone looked around. Violet said, "It looks like the waves of the

  sea."

  Grandfather said, "That is just what they look like, but they are waves

  of rock. Probably millions of years ago what we are standing on now was

  covered by the ocean."

  Henry said, "This low mountain may once have been near the ocean floor.

  It was pushed up to where it is now."

  19

  Benny threw his head back and laughed. He said, "I'll bet the old

  dinosaurs paddled around here."

  "Maybe dinosaurs were here when this was a swamp," said Jessie.

  "I wish I had brought my camera," said Henry.

  "Oh, I wish you had," said Violet.

  Mr. Alden was looking at the great stretch of woods below. He said, "I

  don't think anyone has ever cut those trees. I'd hate to get lost

  there."

  Benny looked at his wristwatch. "I hope someone besides me will say it's

  time to eat," he said.

  Violet said, "I am willing to be the one." She patted Benny's shoulder.

  Jessie said, "Let's sit here and plan what we will do."

  "That's the housekeeper in you, Jess," said Henry. "If we are going to

  cook that hamburger we'll have to get a fire started. Let's find the

  wood."

  Mr. Alden sat still and watched them.

  "Well, there are certainly all kinds of wood," said Benny. "Big and

  little. And look, there is a kettle and a frying pan."

  20

  "That kettle is for hot water, I think," said Violet. "Just throw a

  little coffee in, and there will be Grandfather's coffee."

  "Freshly made," said Grandfather.

  "Those men at the store thought of everything," said Benny. "Here's the

  fireplace with a back rock to keep off the wind." He was beyond the

  little hump.

  "Well, I guess we're all set," said Henry.

  Everybody had a job. The two boys built the fire, for even Benny knew

  how to start a good fire. The girls made cakes of the hamburger and took

  out the bacon.

  "I think we had better fry the bacon first," said Jessie, and the girls

  soon had the crisp slices lying on a paper napkin.

  "Where shall we put the grease, Grandfather, when we get through?"

  "Give it to me," said Mr. Alden, "and I will show you. Wait till I get

  all set."

  Grandfather, without a smile, got down flat on his stomach and crawled

  slowly to the edge. "Now I'll

  21

  take the pan," he said. Everyone tried not to laugh- Mr. Alden looked so

  funny. With a straight face, Mr. Alden took the pan and poured the hot

  fat down the rocky mountainside. He backed slowly until he was far from

  the edge. Then he said, "That grease went almost straight down for half

  a mile. That's why you can't go down or up except on our trail."

  "Oh, you did look funny," said Benny. "I could hardly help laughing."

  "Neither could I," said Mr. Alden. "Now we can laugh all we want."

  Indeed when anyone thought of Grandfather pouring grease straight down

  the mountain, it was hard to stop laughing at all.

  "Now the hamburger," said Henry. "Just about room for six in this pan."

  Jessie passed him the hamburger cakes. They started at once to give out

  a delicious smell.

  Soon Henry gave the orders, "Get a plate and a bun and a piece of cheese

  and a paper napkin, and be all ready for your hamburger."

  22

  "We'll get a bottle of Coke, too," said Benny.

  "Right," said Henry. "And I will put Grandfather's black coffee in one

  of these cups."

  Never did food taste better. They made it last a long time.

  "I think this is the first time," said Jessie, "that we ever had

  anything left over from a picnic. I couldn't eat all my hamburger, and

  neither could Violet. We have five buns and one hamburger left."

  "You will see that I didn't quite finish my big hamburger either," said

  Grandfather.

  Benny's loud voice was heard saying, "Save it-save every crust and every

  crumb. I have a feeling I might use it later in the day."

  The Alden family picked up all their papers and cups and burned them in

  the fire. Grandfather said, "Save my coffee, too. I have a feeling I

  might like it just before we go. We go at exactly four o'clock."

  Violet shook every d
rop out of an empty Coke bottle. She filled the

  bottle with coffee.

  Henry saw what she was doing. He said, "Just

  23

  dump the coffee grounds on the rocks. The wind will blow them away."

  "When we go down," said Benny, "how about letting me go first?"

  "All right," Grandfather agreed, "you lead the way."

  They put the scraps of food in a paper bag and at exactly four o'clock

  Benny got ready to back down.

  Benny said, "The first step will hold both my feet."

  "So will the second one," said Henry.

  Benny reached down carefully with one foot for the first step. He held

  onto the edge tightly. It was a long way down to the step and he almost

  wished he had let Grandfather or Henry go first.

  "Let me take one of your hands," Henry said. "Take your time and you'll

  be all right."

  Benny swung his other foot down but still kept Henry's hand. The next

  step was not quite so steep.

  With one foot on the second step Benny was just about to let Henry go.

  Then with no warning it happened-one moment Benny's foot was on the

  step, the

  24

  next he was reaching wildly for a foothold.

  With a noise like thunder the stone step went crashing down the mountain

  side. As it rolled, it knocked loose stones and boulders in a regular

  mountain slide.

  "Help!" Benny shouted, hanging on to Henry and trying to catch at

  anything that would not crumble and break loose.

  Grandfather threw himself down and grabbed Benny by his free arm. Henry

  got a better grasp. Jessie took the back of his sweater and the three

  pulled Benny to the top and safety.

  Benny lay perfectly still on his side, breathing hard. "Gramps," he

  said, "it will take me three days to get over this."

  Benny had never called his grandfather "Gramps" before, and nobody had

  ever seen him quite so still. Mr. Alden knelt down to comfort him. He

  said, "Benny, you put your mind on this. Forget the step. Just think

  that your life was saved for something special and try to wonder what it

  is."

  25

  Benny sat up at once. "I

  was

  saved, wasn't I?" he cried. "Maybe I'll be

  a mountain climber. Or a scientist.'

  Jessie and Violet both looked pale. They knew what a narrow escape Benny

  had had. The noise of the rocks crashing down, Benny's shout, the

  rescue- it had all happened so quickly.

  26

  Henry looked around the rocky top of the mountain. He did not want to

  frighten the girls, but he knew that the only way down was gone. The